What Could Have Been
by Ebony McCloud
Summary: What might have been had I made different choices


**A/N: So, my Discord server just experienced its first anniversary, which made many of us very nostalgic. As a result, I found myself thinking about what might have been for CoaFA if I had gone with my first ideas for it. I'm sure that you all will gain a decent grasp of what that fic might have entailed with this small sample. There will be no continuation of this, I was just feeling a bit sentimental and wanted to give you all a window into a vision I had before CoaFA.**

**Anyway, there is one last thing to mention, which is simply that, for the foreseeable future, I won't be posting any more of the challenges that I write for my server. Things like the third chapter of A Different Kind of Normal, Day of Flowers, A Katt and Her Bird, Words in the Silence, and the like don't really strike me as things you all are interested in (except maybe for one particular one shot that has been years in the making). Anyway, that's a "Just so you know." tidbit.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The sound of snow crunching beneath boots was lost beneath the rushing wind that blew violently across the mountainous landscape. Copious amounts of snow rode the air currents in an attempt to bury the landscape, and everything in it deep within a pristine, frigid blanket. While the endless waves of flakes had yet to entirely submerge the environment, they were able to obscure the surrounding area from even the sharpest of eyes.

As a result, the lone traveler pushing through the whirlwind of snow was on high alert. Hearing nothing but the song of icy winds and seeing little except the next step and the dance of snow around himself, the young Hylian had to fight to remain wary of any unknown threats. He could only hope that whatever beings made their homes among the mountains were as oblivious to his presence as he was theirs.

Link reached up, pulling the hood of his thick cloak further down in a vain attempt to keep the flurries of snow from attacking his eyes. Despite the heavy tunic containing a layer of Rito feathers and the cloak wrapped around him, he was still chilled to the bone, and his cheeks and the tips of his pointed ears burned. Regardless, he pushed through, unwilling to use the Sheikah Slate hanging on his hip to teleport back to a warmer, safer location. It would waste time he wasn't sure he had, as Medoh's message had been incredibly vague at best if it could even be called a "message." All the young Champion had received was a hint of a location somewhere deep within the mountains he was currently wandering through. No answer to why he was doing it, what it was he was to find when he arrived, or how the entire ordeal would help him overcome the threat facing what was left of Hyrule.

No, all he had was one little dot on a map, nothing more.

Despite the critical lack of information, Link had opted to set out immediately, not even taking time to rest after his exhausting battle with the corrupted Rito Champion. His scrapes and burns still ached, though the pain was slowly beginning to ebb away thanks to the numbing cold. In his mind, the Divine Beast giving him any sort of information was too important to ignore or put off for longer than absolutely necessary.

The sole Champion pulled his cloak around himself even tighter, quickly acknowledging that he would need a warm shelter and rest before long. He was eager to reach his destination as soon as possible, but he was far from foolish. Refusing to take care of the barest of his necessities would do nothing except get him killed, which would have catastrophic consequences for the hundreds of nameless people that still existed within the land he had grown to call home.

As if answered by some deity silently watching over him, Link noticed a faint silhouette a few yards in front of him. His cool blue eyes narrowed, squinting against the snowstorm as he traced the outline of a rugged little shack nestled against a rock wall.

Enticed by the idea of finally warming up and eating a nice meal, the Hylian hurried to the door.

Hoping that whoever lived within the homely cabin would forgive him for barging in, Link quickly opened the door and rushed inside, slamming it shut with a thud, abruptly cutting off the roaring of the wind.

Without pause, the exhausted young man looked around, finding the dark cabin sparsely furnished. Aside from the rickety bed, decaying desk, cold fireplace, and empty cooking pot, there was a small stash of supplies against the wall.

After ensuring that he was alone, Link grabbed the pot and immediately opened the door to brave the snowstorm once again. The Hylian quickly filled the cauldron to the brim with snow before retreating again into the safety of the cabin behind him. Without missing a beat, he set to starting a fire, placing logs and striking his flint and steel with practiced ease despite his frozen fingers. After giving the tiny flames a few minutes to relieve his hands of some of their chill, the Hylian reached into his bag, pulling out various ingredients, knives, and a cutting board.

With the proteins, vegetables, and seasonings prepared, and the pot finally suspended over the flames, Link finally tended to his weapons. His shield was propped up against the wall while he huddled next to the fire with his sword in hand. He ran a critical eye over the blade, illuminated by the soft light from the fire. The edge was sharp enough to still be useful and without any visible signs of damage other than a few scratches, it passed the inspection. It was promptly sheathed and set within arm's reach.

The Hylian finally sat down to rest, throwing a few more logs onto the fire. He didn't allow himself to relax completely though; his senses were still hampered in this unknown territory. He didn't know who the lodging belonged to or how they would respond to an uninvited guest, nor did he know if there were other people nearby or if he was alone in the abandoned cabin.

There was simply too much he didn't know to make relaxing practical.

Warmth slowly returned to his exhausted body as he silenced the complaints of his stomach with a quiet meal.

After several helpings, the Hylian set aside the bowl and pulled his cloak around himself once again as he stared deep into the flames. While Link didn't mind being alone for the most part, he often found that meals spent in solace as he huddled next to a fire were morose affairs. More often than not, they resulted in him gazing deep into the depths of the flames, searching for answers that the rest of the world was unable or unwilling to share.

Of course, his recent battle against Medoh had awakened many questions within. He'd experienced a few memories of the Rito Champion; however, he hadn't yet taken the time to sit and ponder his fallen ally. From what little he recalled, Revali had been arrogant, egocentric, condescending, negative, and otherwise unpleasant. During the one major interaction that had surfaced from his broken memory, Revali had taken several opportunities to insult and belittle the Hylian Champion before abandoning him to return to Vah Medoh.

Despite the general unpleasantness of the Rito Champion, Link still felt an alien sense of loss as he reflected on recent events. He had known that it was more than likely that the people he had known before the Great Calamity were likely dead; however, finding Impa had given him hope that perhaps some from his past friends had also survived.

Unfortunately, Revali's fate would have indicated that his fellow Champions had not survived, not that he could claim to be surprised. He had almost joined them and, even if he had survived the initial resurgence of Ganon, would have likely joined them quickly thereafter. He couldn't imagine living day to day knowing that he had the power to fight but not doing so. Death would have sought him in his efforts to fulfill their duty.

Link hunched forward slightly as the fire before him crackled quietly.

The Hylian Champion had never much cared for Revali. Even so, he had been a remarkable and dedicated warrior and that was something that Link understood, even admired.

Link pulled out the Great Eagle bow, holding the magnificent weapon in his hands as he gazed down at it.

What would have happened if they hadn't failed that day?

Would he and Revali have learned to be friends? Would they have gone their separate ways, only seeing each other for celebrations of their victory?

He tried to put an end to the line of thought before guilt overwhelmed him but he was unable to.

If Ganon had overtaken the Divine Beast and thus killed the Rito Champion that way, didn't that mean that Link, through his failure, was partially responsible for Revali's death as well?

To make it worse, Link felt he was further dishonoring the man's memory by having very little memory of him, and none of it was something that he liked. Even if he had no love for his comrade in arms, he should have at least honored him by remembering Revali.

The Hylian Champion's grip tightened around the bow he held as a thought concerning how to salute his fallen ally crossed his mind. It was currently the finest weapon in his arsenal at the moment; however, he had to do what he believed to be right.

Leaning forward and reaching with all the care and deliberateness he could muster, he set the Great Eagle bow into the fire. The flames greedily accepted his offering, crackling loudly as they ran along the bow's length.

Despite his desire to stop thinking and move on, Link kept a silent vigil, allowing himself to experience the loss of a life he barely knew.

* * *

Link stretched out his back once again, trying to ease the stiff muscles as he waded through the mounds of sparkling snow. Being more exhausted than he had realized, the Hylian Champion had fallen asleep watching the Great Eagle Bow burn away the night prior. As a result, his muscles had made many complaints when his eyes cracked open early that morning.

He wouldn't claim to be in higher spirits but his guilt had lessened after finding a way to acknowledge his loss. He was certain that had Revali had a say in the matter, he would have verbally beaten the Hylian for burning his possession. Regardless, Link didn't regret his decision in the slightest.

There was still quite a bit of hurt concerning his loss, but travel made it difficult to dwell on. The wilds were filled with danger, even near the largest cities he'd visited. Survival required that he pay attention to the world around him at all times. Not focus on things he could not change.

It also helped that the sun was shining and that the snow was sparkling, bringing out the green of the pine trees that littered the pass he was traveling through. The sun always helped to ease the melancholy that he had come to be familiar with.

Pulling out the Slate, he checked the map to make sure he had not veered off course. Though nothing had happened that would have confused his sense of direction, it wouldn't have been the first time he had somehow gotten turned around.

Confirming that he was still on course, the Hylian Champion returned the strange device to his hip, pulled his cloak around himself once again, and continued trudging through the snow.

He couldn't help but wonder why the Divine Beast had sent him deep into the Hebra Mountains as he continued his journey. Medoh was itself a weapon, so Link couldn't imagine that it would lead him to another weapon. Considering its sole purpose had been to help the kingdom defeat the Calamity, he couldn't imagine that it was an irrelevant goose chase.

He supposed it could be another shrine dedicated to helping him grow more powerful. If that were the case though, then would it not have been meant for Revali. There was the possibility that defeating its former pilot had led Medoh to believe that he was its new pilot.

Then again, the Divine Beast had shown something akin to intelligence. He doubted that the ancient machine would have deemed him a suitable Champion, especially since he couldn't move through most of its interior without some sort of aid.

The Hylian Champion pulled out the Slate to once again check his bearing, only to find that he had been veering off course. Link readjusted the direction he was traveling and resumed his journey, a new energy beginning to overtake him. He was far closer than he had imagined and one last push would likely see him to his destination long before the sun would begin to set. The anticipation of discovery dulled the bitter cold of the Mountains as well as helped distract him from thinking about the questions he couldn't answer.

And that anticipation stayed with him even as he reached the sheer cliff face. From what he could make out, his destination was somewhere just above him. Though he was ashamed of it, the challenge immediately ahead excited him. He was only here because an ally had fallen, yet he was looking forward to pushing himself to reach it. The Hero of Hyrule should have been a bigger person, but he was not that person.

Link removed his cloak, knowing from experience that it would do little to help keep him warm, especially since the wind had grown stronger near the base of the mountain. Putting on another pair of gloves, the Hylian began the arduous climb up, relishing the chance to focus on something that wasn't his losses, his quest, and the multitude of unanswerable questions that faced him.

A simple physical challenge provided an ideal break from all the negative he had been battling for weeks now.

As he ascended, he noticed that the wall began to slant outward, creating a subtle overhang that made each small movement more difficult than the last. The incline, along with the wind that seemingly grew more violent with every inch, drained Link's stamina faster than he had anticipated. He had expected it to take something out of him; however, he had not expected to push himself to the limits as he had during his fight against the reanimated Revali.

Every inch caused his muscles to scream louder but he didn't allow that to dissuade him. He didn't even entertain the thought of letting go and using his paraglider to descend safely. Instead, the Hylian continued his ascent, gritting his teeth in defiance of the forces that tried to repel him.

Finally, Link's hand found the edge, and he hauled himself over. He lay on the hard stone of a tunnel leading into the mountain, breathing heavily as the wind continued whipping around him.

Link didn't allow himself much time to rest before forcing himself to his feet. Rolling his shoulders, the Hylian Champion eyed the depths of the tunnel. He couldn't pick out what lay at the end of it, but his battle-hardened instincts told him something was off.

Link took a cautious step, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny he could see. He didn't know what it was he was watching for, but he assured himself that he wouldn't be caught entirely by surprise.

A few steps in, he began to understand why he was on edge. The air currents were growing from a strong wind to a powerful gale. Link used his arms to protect his face, hunching down as he continued pushing through. As he journeyed deeper, the winds became so extreme that they began pushing him back. Thinking quickly, Link dropped to the ground, hugging the floor as he continued inching forward.

As the Hylian Champion crawled along the tunnel, the darkness was replaced by the same faint orange glows that he had come to associate with inactive Sheikah technology. Keeping his face covered with a single hand, he looked around the tunnel, spotting a lonely terminal several yards away.

Hunkering down once again, Link started the long crawl. He wasn't sure that it was possible for air to move with the force that assaulted him but he had stopped questioning what was possible when it came to the Sheikah.

Reaching the terminal, Link wrapped an arm around the base, clinging to it as he removed the Slate from his hip and slammed it onto the terminal with a sharp _clack._

The winds died down, followed by a rumbling from deep below him. The sound of stone scraping against itself alerting the Hylian Champion to a hidden door that was opening.

Mercifully, the sound only lasted a moment before ending, ushering in an unnatural silence. Link didn't claim to have a comprehensive knowledge of physics, but he was certain that the sound of wind outside the cave should have been bouncing around the tunnel, but he could hear nothing. Not even the sound of his clothes rustling, or footfalls on the stone could be heard as he pulled himself up and walked toward the opening that had presented itself.

Link stopped at the entrance staring deep into the blackness. As eager as he was to continue, he knew it would be irresponsible to do so in his current condition.

Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a stamina potion and downed it. Then, kneeling, he pulled the materials to create a torch. The concoction kicked in as he finished wrapping the torch and dipped the fabric in some extra oil. Then, after lighting it with his flint and steele, he returned to his feet, holding up the source of light as he journeyed into the darkness below.


End file.
